Opportunity for Keo to Play at Safety With Wilson and Pollard Not Coming Back

With a couple safeties not coming back to the team in 2011, John McClain reports it opens the door for rookie safety Shiloh Keo to come in and get playing time.

The Texans represent a great opportunity for safeties. Last year’s starters, Eugene Wilson and Bernard Pollard, won’t return. Phillips coached rookie safety Shiloh Keo in the East-West Shrine Game and recommended him to Smith and Kubiak.

” I was so excited that I might have made (Phillips) like me, and it just so happened he decided to draft me,” Keo said. “I’m looking forward to playing in his system.”

Phillips gave Keo advice at the East-West Game. “Work hard, be relaxed and do your job,” Keo said. “Don’t worry about anybody else’s job; just do your job.”

Going into the draft, Keo was projected as a strong safety who would play well in the box, but that’s not what Phillips and defensive backs coach Vance Joseph want. If they did, they would have brought back Pollard.

The coaches want to move Glover Quin, their best cornerback, to safety. The other starting position is open.

“It’s a split-safety defense, so we really want twins,” Joseph said. “We want two guys who can tackle. We want two guys who are smart. We want two guys who can cover and have range over the top of the zone. Once we find that, that’s the solution.”